Pleat holding device for use in pressing



3 T. A. LITTLE 3,101,560

PLEAT HOLDING DEVICE FOR USE IN PRESSING Filed May 2. 1961 IN VENTOR THOMAS ARTHUR LITTLE United States Patent Otfice x 3,101,560 I PLEAT HOLDING DEVICE FOR USE IN PRESSING Thomas A. Little, P.0. Box 241, Y anceyville, NC. Filed May 2, 1961, Set. No..107,106 2 Claims. (Cl. 38-12) This invention relates to a'novel device for simplifying pressing or ironing operations on garments and particularly on pleated garments.

Heretofore, it has been a problem to press garments designed'and made with decorative oreven functional folds, as best illustrated by pleated skirts, jackets, blouses etc. Prior cleaning or washing operations form wrinkles in the garment and otherwise displace the folds or pleats thereof from their original, intended, decorative disposition, and as is well known ironing or pressing operations are employed to remove the wrinkles and restore the folds or pleats to their original disposition. When there are a large number of pleats or folds to be pressed or ironed, it is particularly difiicult to maintain the folds or pleats in their intended disposition prior to applying the ironing or pressing surface thereto.

It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide a novel device which greatly facilitates the pressing of garments and the like having folds or pleats.

A further object is the provision of a device for maintaining folds, pleats and the like of a garment in the intended disposition until the pressing surface has been applied and pressing completed.

.Another object is the provision of a device which will assist in forming pleats or folds and the like in a garment and hold them in their proper disposition until they have been pressed.

The device of my invention is generally adapted for use with a stationary ironing board for receiving the article to be ironed or pressed and a movable press board arranged to bear upon an article placed on the ironing board from above. My novel device comprises a frame having a horizontal member adapted to be supported on a table therefor below said ironing board in combination with at least one resilient strap extending from said horizontal member and adapted to be stretched up over said ironing board and garment thereon and back down for attachment to said horizontal member. The resilient strap is thus placed under tension which is sufiicient to hold the garment and folds or pleats formed therein without wrinkling or otherwise distorting said folds or pleats. Provision can also be made for adjusting the length of said straps to vary the tension thereof and thus the pressure or holding force exerted thereby on the garment.

The above and other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following detailed de scription of one embodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the novel device;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the novel device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of :a pressing machine illustrating the novel device in use; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on line 44 of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 there is shown a U-shaped base frame 1 having horizontal legs 2 and 3, a cross member 4 connecting one end of leg 2 to one end of leg 3, and a cross strut 5 connecting said legs at an intermediate point as srown. A guide rail 6 also of a general U-shape having, however, arms or legs which are much shorter than the U-bottom or cross piece, is mounted at each end on the end portions of said leg 2 of the frame 1 and extends vertically upward therefrom. A second guide rail 7 of a shape and size similar to guide rail 6 is mounted at each end on the end portions of leg 3 and extends up- 2 wardly therefrom in an oblique direction between the vertical and horizontal. Rubber pads A or other suitable feet canbe attached to the bottom of the base frame 1.

Straps 8 of a resilient or elastic material are attached at one end thereof by means of slip rings -9 to the guide rail 6 land are attachable to snap slip rings 10 slide-ably mounted on guide rail 7. Each strap is of such a length as to be able to extend upwardly over an ironing board with which my device is used and thence downwardly to the snap rings10 for attachment thereto, as will be more I apparent with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

With "reference to said-FIGS. 3 and4, thereis shown therein a pressing machine 11 generally having a support pedestal I'Zmo'u'nting a stationary ironing board 13-, a pivoted pressing board 14 manipulated by a handle 15 and adapted to be pivoted to move from its rest position above the ironing board 13, downwardly into flush engagement with the upper surface of said ironing board, and a table 16 below said ironing board. Suitable structural members and steaming or heating mechanisms are also usually provided as a part of such machines, but for clarity are not shown in the drawings. A garment 17 is shown on the ironing board '13 in a position ready for pressing.

My novel device is shown as lying on and being supported by table 16 with leg 2 behind the support pedestal 12 and leg 3 in front of said pedestal with the guide rails 6 and 7 extending upwardly. The straps 8, as mentioned hereinbefore, are of such a length as to readily extend up, over the ironing board 13 and down for attachment at both ends to the guide rails 6 and 7. The snap, slip ring 10 permits the length of said strap extending from rail 6 to rail 7 to be adjusted as desired to vary the pressure of said strap exerted on the garment 17. The U-shaped base frame 1 advantageously is of sulficient weight to prevent the lifting of said frame from the table '16 When the straps 3 are manipulated under normal conditions of use.

The elastic or resilient nature of the straps 8 and the slidabi-lity of the slip rings 9 and 10 on their respective guide rails 6 and 7 permit the easy removal of said straps from contact with the garment 17 and the easy recontacting with another garment to be pressed. Thus, the straps 8 can be extended by lifting the central portions thereof and moved laterally off of the garment 17. Said straps can then be permitted to contract into engagement with the top surface of the ironing board 13 beyond the ends of said garment, or they can be slipped over one or the other end of said ironing board and permitted to relax into their normal, slack condition below said ironing board. The garment 17 is thereby readily freed and a clear area is provided on the top of the ironing boar-d for positioning thereon the next garment to be pressed or ironed.

Although my novel device has been described in detail in the above-described embodiment with relation to a commercial pressing machine, the basic concept of resilient straps attached to each end thereof below an ironing surface can be readily applied to home ironing boards, ironing machines and the like to facilitate and expedite the pressing of pleated or folded fabrics. The novel device is also adapted to be portable and can be used (with only minor modifications, if necessary) on any pressing machine regardless of the particular construction of the machine. It, furthermore, can be moved from one machine to another or stored in out-of-the-way places when not in use.

Changes to the structure and arrangement of parts of my novel device can be made without departing from the Patented Aug. 27, 1963 4 ing a normally stationary ironing surface for receiving a garment having a pleat to be pressed and a table below said ironing surface; said pleating device comprising, a base frame adapted to be positioned on said table, and a plurality of resilient straps attached at each end thereof to said frame, said straps being longitudinally elastic throughout their entire lengths and being adapted to extend upwardly from said frame, over said ironing surface and said garment to be ironed thereon and thence downwardly to said frame, to exert downward pressure on ,said garment and hold said pleat in said garment.

2. A portable pleating device for use with a garment press wherein upper and lower press members are mounted on a frame and a table is mounted on said frame below said lower member and is connected to said lower mem- 15 her by a vertical support column comprising a U-shaped base adapted to set on said table with one leg of said U-shaped base on each side of said support column and a plurality of resilient stnaps extending from one leg of said U-shaped base to opposite leg of said U-shaped base and snap fasteners connecting said straps to at least one of said leg members, each of'said straps being longitudinally elastic throughout their entire lengths and being of a length suitable for extending over said lower press memher and a garment thereon under tension suificient to hold a pleat in a garment, but iIlSllfillClCIll'. to lift said U-shaped 10 base from said table.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 190,750 Ellinwood May 15, 1877 1,775,695 Reeves Sept. 16, 1930 1,798,438 Schlesinger Mar. 31, 1931 

1. A PLEATING DEVICE FOR USE WITH A GARMENT PRESS HAVING A NORMALLY STATIONARY IRONING SURFACE FOR RECEIVING A GARMENT HAVING A PLEAT TO BE PRESSED AND A TABLE BELOW SAID IRONING SURFACE; SAID PLEATING DEVICE COMPRISING, A BASE FRAME ADAPTED TO BE POSITIONED ON SAID TABLE, AND A PLURALITY OF RESILIENT STRAPS ATTACHED AT EACH END THEREOF TO SAID FRAME, SAID STRAPS BEING LONGITUDINALLY ELASTIC THROUGHOUT THEIR ENTIRE LENGTHS AND BEING ADAPTED TO EXTEND UPWARDLY FROM SAID FRAME, OVER SAID IRONING SURFACE AND SAID GARMENT TO BE IRONED THEREON AND THENCE DOWNWARDLY TO SAID FRAME, TO EXERT DOWNWARD PRESSURE ON SAID GARMENT AND HOLD PLEAT IN SAID GARMENT. 